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Exceptional Burr Walnut Imperial Monogrammed Bureau-Bookcase, Scriban

$15,675,000List Price

About the Item

Unique Louis XIV figured burr-walnut and inlaid (circa 1735) Dutch bureau-bookcase with book matched burr-walnut veneers of the finest quality. The bureau bookcase has a Classic Baroque cornice with the imperial mirror-monogram of Tsarina Catherine the Great (1729-1796) of Russia in the middle. The front doors open to a bank of concave fronted drawers; below each door is a candle slide. The lower section has a very well figured fall concealing an old writing surface and an impressive stepped interior with desk well and the other unique feature of this top bureau, namely the interior of a masonic temple (place of private devotion, f.i. private altar / chapel) behind the prospect door, giving entrance to the innersanctum; it is thought that the walls have been covered with mirrors to enlarge the effect of the diagonally /black /white blocked floor. Below a figured burr-walnut frieze with a pair of retractable lopers over three long graduated serpentine drawers, fitted with contemporary brass plate handles. The bureau-bookcase is supported on volute feet. Exuding quality throughout in its construction, features and choice of veneers, this top bureau retains beautiful rich color and patina.. Particularly rare is the mirror monogram EJ and the masonic interior behind the prospect door. Through its unique features this almost three centuries old museum piece is far above that seen on any piece of this early age and will be a phenomenal asset of any museum collection. Condition: in good antique condition and sturdy overall; the brass locks are all original, the brass mounts replaced but contemporary. The piece has marks commensurate with age and use, and minor well-done restorations to veneer. We discussed this early 18th century Dutch top bureau with the furniture specialists of the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam and Paleis het Loo Apeldoorn, The Netherlands \and their conclusion is that this bureau bookcase must have been made to order and therefore unique probably as a (wedding) gift; see the little heart underneath the monogram. Made in The Hague, The Netherlands, in those days one of the most important political centers in the world, see for research cabinetmaker and monogram below. Provenance: Estate of a distinguished Dutch gentleman. Historically this unique museum piece should be seen against the background of Tsarina Catherine the Great of Russia and her ambassador to The United Provinces in 1735, nowadays The Netherlands Prince Boris Ivanovich Kurakin, well-known as “The Father of Russian Diplomacy”. Catherine the Great, born in 1729, was the elder daughter of a Prussian Prince, married in 1745 to Peter nephew of Tsarina Elisabeth who was a daughter of Tsar Peter the Great. As a new convert to the Russian Orthodox Church she received the name of Ekatarina or Catherine/Jekaterina in Russian. Following the 17th century art cabinets, the bureau-bookcase in the present case is not just a piece of furniture; it appears to be a multifunctional book-case embodying one’s religious or philosophical ideas with a combination of showing off and, for daily use the mirror room behind the little door as a shrine or an entertainment-center avant la lettre, to experience pleasure corresponding with one’s philosophical ideas reflected in perspective. (Please note film, computers and television didn’t exist in those days) Would it not be tempting, overlooking the above, mindful of a proverb of MH's president: “Temptations season life” NOT to assume this bureau bookcase once formed part of the erotic cabinet of Tsarina Catherine the Great, to which historians have been searching for during decades, alternatively do we come upon proof of the fact that the Tsarina was a member of the female Freemasonry " The Mopses" founded in the 18th. C. as the female counterpart of the masculine Freemasonry ? Prince Boris Kurakin (1676-1727) was one of the closest associates of Tsar Peter the Great, he was also the Tsar’s brother in law being married to a sister of Eudoxia Being initiated in freemasonry in Stockholm /Sweden some authors claim Prince Boris Kurakin introduced Freemasonry to the Russian Court in Moscow from where it soon spread to Sint Petersburg. In those days masonic lodges were meeting places for travelling intellectuals. Based Upon the phenomenal elaborate precision of the “Carnival of the flourished letters of the imperial monogram this early 18th century burr-walnut Dutch bureau book-case is attributable to the famous Dutch Cabinetmaker Matthijs Horrix (1735-1809) of German origin; he was supplier to Courts throughout Europe and soon admitted to The Hague Guild as master cabinetmaker as “the most prominent representative of French cabinetmaking. "Should your interest be for a society, club or commercially it is always worthwhile to contact MH's "Antiques Lease Division" The Russian Imperial mirrormonogramned early 18th century antique bureau bookcase in the present case is THE ULTIMATE item, the ' erotic cabinet' (?) (see above) from Tsarina Catherine the Great of Russia and should therefore surely form part of the planned film about her life. Interested ? contact our " Antiques Lease Division" by email through 1stdibs or call MH's president Hans IJsselstijn directly at + 31 (0)183 750562. Monumenta Historica offers inventory for (short) lease / rental for various lengths of time at a percentage of the retail price. Our lease / rental business caters to television and motion picture productions, as well as window display, commercial photography, and event planning. "Monumenta Historica has gratefully granted the honourable request by the management of the Museum in Gorinchem - a small pretty little antique city in The Netherlands - to loan some of the rare masonic items from her collection for an exposition on 200 years Freemasonry in Gorinchem. "FREEMASONS, A secret unveiled" Herewith the items indeed deserve the epitheton: "museum pieces" (see Image 2).

Dimensions:
Height: 91.62 in (232.7 cm)Width: 51.58 in (131 cm)Depth: 26.62 in (67.6 cm)
Style:
Baroque (Of the Period)
Materials and Techniques:
Brass,Burl,Ebony,Fruitwood,Oak,Walnut,Metalwork,Mosaic,Veneer,Woodwork
Place of Origin:
Netherlands
Period:
18th Century
Date of Manufacture:
1735
Condition:
Wear consistent with age and use.
Seller Location:
Werkendam, NL
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU101581004974

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